Walking Between Walls
by Tonbea
Summary: Ava Radley had lost everything to the dead when Aaron and Eric found her. Cut off from her old life in England she struggles to adjust to a new reality in Alexandria. But when Daryl Dixon walks through the gates everything changes. Ava learns that staying alive might be easy compared to living. Eventual Daryl Dixon/OC.
1. Chapter 1

Ava rubbed her eyes while stifling a quiet moan. Looking up she found a pair of dark brown eyes staring at her expectantly. She shook her head slightly trying to get back into the real world. Sleep had eluded her the past night, and in her dazed mind she realized she must have dozed of.

'What did you say again Sam?' Ava asked the young boy sitting at the table in front of her.

The boy groaned dramatically. 'I said why do we have to do this?' He gestured towards the open notebook in front of him, containing half scribbled equations. Ava sighed and looked to the kids sitting next to him. They were five in total, two boys and two girls in addition to Sam and they were all looking at her, waiting for an answer.

Ava wanted to slam her head into the wall of the garage that housed their makeshift school. She'd never realized that half the job of teaching would be convincing kids that they would actually need what was taught them. A job made increasingly difficult by a post apocalyptic world, where the dead walked outside their walls.

She pinched her nose, eyes closed, and prepared a mental speech about the importance of mathematics when she heard the distant sounds of cars approaching. Finally, she thought. She looked over to the kids and smiled.

'You know what? I think you guys have deserved an early day today, don't you?' Five bright grins flashed towards her in return. 'Class dismissed.' Ava said with a small laugh when none of the children moved to get up. She waved them off absentmindedly as she collected her things to the sound of scraping chairs and eager goodbyes.

Her jaw had set in a stern grimace as she hurried her way down towards the gate. Aaron and Eric had been gone on their recruiting trip far too long which could only mean two things, either they had found other survivors or they had gotten hurt. Or worse. Ava bit down on the inside of her cheek. She hated this part.

As she rounded the corner of the last house she slowed to a halt. She watched as Aaron and Eric came through the gate and filled with dread when she noticed Eric limping, his arm secured around Aaron's shoulders. Relief ran through her when she realized it couldn't be that serious when Aaron let him go as soon as they'd entered. Ava moved with the intention of following Eric directly to the infirmary, but remained transfixed as her eyes shifted to the group walking in behind them. Boy, where they a sight to behold.

She counted 14 heads before her breath hitched when she noticed one of them holding a baby. It had been a long time since she'd last seen a baby. Squinting, she tried to make out the rest of the group. Armed to their teeth and covered in grime they certainly looked the part of apocalyptic survivors, eyes darting back and forth trying to assess their surroundings. A small smile ran across her lips when she spotted one of them carrying a dead possum by its tail.

She lingered for another second, giving them all one last once over and suddenly realized that this must have been what she looked like at a time. They were obviously nervous and Ava wondered what they had been through before Aaron had found them. Grinding her teeth, her stomach churned. She could imagine it all too well.

Watching their darting looks Ava remembered how she'd felt when she stood next to Aaron at the same gate almost six months ago. Having the same questions she reckoned they were having now. What was this place? Who were these people? Was it safe?

They were tough, she could see as much. She wouldn't have expected otherwise from a group that had survived out there all this time. Considering they were standing inside their gates, Aaron must have deemed them to be good people. Ava trusted Aaron with her life and she had agreed with him when he'd approached Deanna about searching for larger groups, more capable survivors to improve their community.

But when she looked at them now a small streak of doubt formed in the back of her mind. What if he was wrong? Ava had seen a lot of different groups in the time she had spent outside their walls. A lot of them hadn't survived. And a lot of those who had Ava had come to wish hadn't.

Her eyes went blank as old memories flooded her mind. A little over two years had passed since she'd happily embarked on a post graduation road trip through America with her best friend to celebrate the end of eight years at the university and her Ph.D. Now, she was all that remained of her old life. And most days she wasn't even sure if that was true anymore.

Ava quelled the treacherous coil in her gut that always emerged whenever she though of her old life, of her friends and family back home across the Atlantic. They were most likely dead; the last thing she'd heard before communication went down was that the outbreaks had reached London.

Deciding she'd seen enough she turned and headed for the infirmary, making a mental note to learn everything she could about the new arrivals from Eric.

When Ava walked in the door at the infirmary she found Pete already bent over Eric's leg, rotating his ankle while Eric winced in obvious discomfort. She immediately strode over to the bed he was laying in.

'Hey.' She said softly. 'I came as soon as I could.'

She turned to Pete, who'd finished with the ankle now. 'What's the damage doc?'

'Seems like a pretty clean fracture. With some splinters and some rest you should be fine in a couple of weeks' Pete answered and patted Eric on his bad leg, resulting in another pained wince form Eric and a icy glare from Ava.

Seemingly unaware of his blunder Pete turned around to leave. 'Give me a second while I find something we can use for splinters.' He muttered.

As soon as he'd left the room Ava pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down.

'What happened?' she demanded, a worried frown spread across her brow.

'Not you too' Eric laughed. 'It was just a stupid accident. I got surrounded by roamers while looking for Aaron and one of them managed to run a tire over my leg. It's nothing but embarrassing really.' He grabbed her hand when her frown deepened.

'Hey, don't you put this on you now. It's my own clumsiness whose to blame.' He continued in a mock stern voice. 'You know I do stupid things when I'm worried.'

Ava met his eyes and felt her own tear up. She quickly looked away, blinking rapidly while she cursed her treacherous emotions. Forcing a smile she looked back at him.

'I'm not. I've got enough with my own two left feet, so you can keep your clumsiness to yourself.'

Eric chuckled slightly at her response.

'Besides' she continued, 'who would teach the children of Alexandria the lifesaving skillset of algebra if I had continued to recruit with Aaron, huh?'

'Ah yes, any newcomers we'd find would flee as soon as they saw our illiterate children.' Eric said dramatically and soon they where both laughing.

They both turned at the sound of Aaron entering through the door, their laughter fading.

'How bad is it?' he asked, worry evident across his face.

'Nothing to worry about, just a sprained ankle as suspected' Eric smiled as Aaron placed a light kiss on his forehead.

'What happened to you?' Ava blurted out in surprise when she noticed the forming bruise on Aarons chin.

'Rick happened. Their leader. Knocked me out cold right after I'd approached them.' He stopped to push her hand down after she'd come around the bed to get a closer look. 'I'm fine, really. I get why he did it - they had to be careful. So were you, remember?'

'I guess.' Ava conceded, but she still felt a flare of anger towards the man who'd hit him. 'So what do we think about these people? Do you think it's going to work out?'

Aaron sighed. 'I hope so. They seem like good people. Hopefully Deanna will see what I've seen.'

'Ok, you know I trust you.' Ava sat down again next to the bed, satisfied now that she knew they where both going to be all right. The weight that had been sitting on her shoulders for the past weeks they'd been gone disappeared and she looked between the two, grinning.

'So, tell me everything that's happened and don't you dare leave anything out.'

* * *

Four firm knocks at the door interrupted Ava whilst reading the next morning. 'Just a minute' she called and the marked the page she was at before putting the book down on the kitchen counter. When she opened the door it was Deanna that greeted her.

Looking down at Ava's steaming mug of coffee she offered an apologetic smile. 'I'm sorry if I'm disturbing your breakfast honey, I was just wondering if you would do me a favour later today?' she asked in that hard, demanding tone she so often used.

'Sure, what do you need?' Ava replied, aware that declining wasn't an option.

'I need you to check in on our new arrivals, make sure they have everything they need and welcome them to the community.' Deanna said, still smiling.

Ava's brows came together in confusion 'I thought you sent Jessie to do that yesterday?' she asked as she wondered about Deanna's motives for choosing her for this. Though she was generally well liked in the community, she had few real connections among them.

'That's true, but I want you to go as well. Next to Enid you were the last person to join us, and I think it might be good for them to meet someone who's been out there for a while. Also, you can inform Rick and Carl about the afternoon school for the older kids. I want this group integrated in our community as soon as possible' Deanna spoke, ever the politician.

Ava nodded reluctantly. 'Wonderful. I knew I could count on you.' Deanna smiled and squeezed her shoulder before departing.

Deep in though Ava walked back inside her house to finish her morning coffee, trying to figure out how she would convince yet another post apocalypse teen about the importance of education.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur and Ava found herself repeating the names of the new arrivals as she approached their houses after finishing today's class with the younger kids. _Rick – Carl – Judith – Michonne..._ A sense of nervousness crept up on her. She'd always been rubbish at first meetings and small talk.

Before the world went to shit Ava had just finished her Ph.D. in history and was looking forward to a bright academic career. When the outbreak happened she quickly realized that all her hard work proved pretty useless when dealing with a dead corpse trying to eat you.

Deanna had thought otherwise and gave her a job in the provincial school they had in Alexandria soon after she arrived. Ava had declined it at first, not ready to slide back into old habits after nearly a year and a half on her own, opting to rather follow Aaron on his recruiting trips. It had been the perfect arrangement for a while, until it wasn't anymore. Once again she wondered about Deanna's motives for choosing her for this task.

Ava walked up to the first house, knocked three times and waited. When no one answered she bent down next to the door trying to peek through one of the windows to see if someone was home.

'Hey, what are ya doing?' A sudden shout caught her attention.

Ava turned to her left to find the guy with the dead possum from the day before standing on the neighboring porch, holding his crossbow stiffly beside him. Seeing his menacing stance her mind went temporarily blank.

'Ya spying on us or something?' the man growled, demanding an answer.

'What? No!' she uttered in confusion.

Shaking her head she recovered slightly and remembered that Aaron had told her his name – Daryl. 'I'm looking for you actually.' She muttered to herself as she got up. She plastered a smile on her face and quickly made her way over to join him at the other porch.

'Hi, Daryl was it? I'm Ava.' Ava offered her hand in greeting and found her smile faltering when Daryl chose to ignore it, opting to keep his icy stare and firm grip on his crossbow.

'Okay.' Ava lowered her hand. 'Uhm, Deanna sent me to check in on you guys. I was actually looking for Rick and Carl specifically, are they here?

'Nah, they left a while ago.' Daryl said, still staring.

'Oh, do you know where they went?' Ava ran a hand through her hair, biting her lip slightly.

'Dunno. Out exploring with the rest I guess'. Daryl mumbled and finally dropped his stare. He picked up an old rag and perched himself on the railing before starting to clean his crossbow. Or at least that was what she assumed he was doing. Truth be told, this was the first time she'd seen one up close.

'Oh, I see. I just wanted to talk to him about maybe coming to school. I mean it's not actually a school, it's just some tables in a garage, and he'll probably won't even want to go, but the rest of the kids seem to like it, so.' She rambled, unsure if he was even listening to her at this point.

'Anyway, I'm kind of the teacher, well not that I'm a teacher per say, I just spent a lot of years at the university, so Deanna gave me the job when I got here and I said yes. I guess that's why she asked me so that's why I'm here. At your house I mean. Looking for Rick and Carl.'

Ava looked at him desperately, wishing for him to provide her with any sort of response to end her misery. Daryl shot her an annoyed glance through the ragged bangs covering his face, but kept his silence.

'Also I lived out there for a while' Ava gestured to walls surrounding the houses, 'So Deanna thought maybe it would be good for me to welcome you as well since I'm kind of the last newcomer next to you guys. So… Welcome I guess?' She threw her hands out in an awkward welcoming gesture while dying a little on the inside. She couldn't remember the last time she had unravelled with such speed in front a stranger.

Daryl gave her a thorough once over before muttering a response. 'Like I told ya, they ain't here.'

Ava cleared her throat. 'Right. Do you have any idea when they might be back?'

'How the hell should I know, I ain't their keeper. Can't ya see I'm busy?' Daryl barked at her.

Ava clenched her fists. She was getting real tired of his attitude and felt the feelings of embarrassment giving way for her anger. There was no need for him to bite her head of, she hadn't wanted a part in this conversation anymore than he had.

'Yeah, I can see that. Real busy.' She replied sarcastically, nodding her head to the rag in his hand. 'Between this and practicing your glare I can see why you wouldn't find the time for anything else, much less learning any manners I suppose.'

'Listen lady, I don't give a shit about your school or whatever the hell you do. Now I told ya they ain't here. This place has two goddamn streets, find them yourself if it's so important.' Daryl snarled at her.

Ava opened her mouth to retort, but decided against it and instead threw her arms up in defeat, backing away. 'Fine, just tell them I came by.' She said flatly.

She gave him one last angry stare and turned to leave, muttering 'Asshole' under her breath loud enough for him to hear.

Feeling his angry glare at her back as she retreated from the house she groaned, rubbing her face with her hand. Yeah, that most certainly could have gone better, she thought to herself and decided to try to avoid the bowman from now on.


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl shifted his weight from foot to foot, half hidden in the shadows below the trees. From the other side of the street he could hear music and muffled laughs from Deanna's welcoming party.

He had spent a lot of time during his life standing outside looking at people through windows.

As a kid it had been the basis of a game he'd invented. Sometimes while he was waiting for his dad to pass out he'd walk past the other houses in the neighborhood late at night and pretend that the people inside were his real family. Sometimes he'd stop next house and make up a complete backstory for his pretend family, spanning several years.

He would incorporate whatever he could see in his made up family history – a rusty bike in the backyard would become his five years birthday gift, a broken window would be the result of his dad teaching him baseball. Dirty sneakers outside would be from his friends who had come over to play video games.

Then, one day when he was standing outside his favorite house and playing his game the door had opened. A man had emerged, a half full bottle of whisky in his hand. He'd spotted Daryl sitting across his fence.

'What the hell are ya looking at kid?' He'd yelled. 'Get out of her ya little piece of shit.' The man started hurling rocks at him and Daryl ran. He stopped playing after that.

He shot the shadows behind the curtains a final look and turned to leave. _Stupid._ That was what he felt like as he heard the sounds from the party grow fainter behind him. Stupid for listening to Aaron's advice about letting people get to know him, and even more stupid for actually considering it.

He didn't need to make friends with these people. Doing that only meant that he would have more people to loose. This place was crazy. Filled with people trying to pretend everything was like it used to be. That nothing had changed. Playing dress up and hosting parties while the rest of the world had died outside their yard.

He thought of Beth, and how she would have loved this place. His stomach turned in that all familiar coil. He could almost hear her sweet voice, trying to convince him to come inside with her. Hell, he might've tried if she'd been there. But he'd failed her, and now she was gone too.

A light flickered on to his right and drew his attention. A second later Aaron stepped out on his porch.

'Daryl – Hey.'

'Thought ya were goin' to that party over there?' Daryl said and pointed back to the muffled voices.

'Oh, I was never going to go because of Eric's ankle, thank God.' Aaron smiled.

Daryl stared back at him, brows furrowing. 'Why the hell did ya tell me to go then?'

'I said try, you did. It's a thought that counts thing.'

Unsure of how to respond Daryl simply mumbled 'all right' and turned to leave.

'Hey – Come in, have some dinner.' Aaron stopped him. Seeing the hesitation in Daryl's eyes he continued.

'Come on man, it some pretty serious spaghetti' Aaron said before he walked back in, leaving the door open for him to follow.

Daryl remained, hands stiff at his sides. Warm light shone from the open door, beckoning him inside. A million thoughts ran through his head and they all culminated into one single question – why? A few more seconds dragged by before he made up is mind and headed inside.

He immediately regretted his decision when he saw the girl from the other day – Ava, standing behind the kitchen counter. Her shoulders tensed when she noticed him. Their eyes met and lingered, hers big and blank, his narrow and uncertain.

'Daryl – How nice of you to join us! Come sit, the pasta is almost ready.' Both of them jumped slightly as Eric spoke. Sitting with his back to the kitchen, his broken ankle stretched out in front of him, he failed to notice the discomfort exchanged between the two. Aaron, on the other hand, watched them with growing amusement.

'I believe you two have already met?' he said with a raised eyebrow.

Daryl winced internally. So she'd obviously told them about their encounter the other day. Ava raised her hand and spread her fingers in a small wave.

'Yeah, we met.' Daryl muttered before he walked over to the table.

Uncomfortable, he diverted his gaze and noticed all the license plates hanging on the walls. The walls were filled with them along with pictures and paintings. Daryl realized how long it'd been since he'd been inside someone's home, and not just a house. Probably not since the farm he thought, although the prison had felt like a home at one point.

A few minutes passed before Ava joined them with the food. The smell of warm, cooked pasta welled towards him, making his mouth water. He'd never been a picky eater, but he had to admit that the smell of a home cooked meal that wasn't canned was like heaven to him at this point. The smell made him realize how hungry he was, and he shuffled a large amount of spaghetti onto his plate and instantly pushed a large spoonful into his mouth. He almost groaned with satisfaction and gulped down the food in order to have another bite.

Across the table Ava cleared her throat. 'Wine Daryl?' She held up a bottle of red wine and motioned to his glass. He nodded hurriedly and watched as she poured. Her hand was slender and clean without a single bruise or cut. Looking down at his hands he noticed the dark lines beneath his nails and suddenly wished he'd washed them.

Thankful that no one tried to engage in some kind of conversation he continued to attack the plate in front of him. While ate he dared to catch a few glimpses of Ava out of the corner of his eyes. Her hair was dark, almost as dark as his. He had to admit she looked good, pretty in a way that made him assume she would've never spoken to him at all if they'd met before all this.

Feeling full and satisfied he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and uttered an appreciative 'thanks' to his hosts.

Eric shifted towards him and spoke 'Um. When you're out there, if you happen to be in a store or something, Mrs Neudermeyer is really looking for a pasta maker. And we're all really trying to get her to shut up about it. I mean we have crates of tried pasta in here, but she wants to make her own or something. I really just think she wants something to talk about. So, if you see one out on your travels, it would really go a long way to -' Eric stopped, noticing the series of pointed looks coming from Aaron.

Daryl took a huge gulp of wine, washing down the remnants of spaghetti and looked between the two, trying to figure out what was going on, but found no answers. His eyes sought Ava's and to his surprise he found them mirroring his own uncertainty.

'I thought it was done. You didn't ask him already?' Eric said, looking at Aaron.

'What is going on?' Ava asked. Her brows were furrowed, eyes fixed at Aaron as if she hoped to draw the answer out of him telepathically.

Aaron shook his head.

'Ask me what?' Daryl demanded.

Aaron rose and motioned for Daryl to mimic him.

'Ava, if you could excuse us for just a moment.' He said and turned to Ava who opened her mouth to protest. Eric put his hand on hers, silencing her and she slumped back in her seat in defeat.

'Daryl, there's something I'd like to show you' Aaron said as he walked over to a door motioning for Daryl to open it. Daryl walked over to join him and opened the door slowly, realizing that it led to the garage. He cast a glance behind him before walking inside.

* * *

Ava watched as the two men disappeared into the garage. As soon as the door closed she turned to Eric.

'Spill.'

'Aaron is going to ask Daryl to recruit with him. I thought he'd already asked him. I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but you were so angry yesterday and well, we haven't really seen you since.' Eric reached for her hand again but Ava quickly withdrew it.

'He's going to ask _him_ to be the new recruiter?' Ava asked incredulous. 'And Deanna approved of this?'

'You don't think it's a good idea?'

'Well, I thought the point was for people to _want_ to join the community' Ava snorted. Her fingers played along the rim of her wineglass, as she tried to deduce why this news were so upsetting to her. Eric chuckled.

'Sure, he's a little rough around the edges, but so was someone else I know. And as far as I remember she got the job.' Eric smiled.

Ava raised her brow and glared at him.

'I was never like that.' she said sourly which prompted Eric into a full-blown laugh.

'Oh honey, trying to get close to you was like trying to give a bath to a feral cat' he said, tears in his eyes.

Ava glowered at him and crossed her arms. 'At least I shower regularly.' She muttered beneath her breath.

* * *

As Daryl walked in to the garage he found it covered in different engine parts. To his right there was a tarp covering what looked to be the frame of a bike.

'When I got this place there was that frame, some parts and equipment. Whoever lived her must have built them.' Aaron said.

'It's a lot of parts for one bike.' Daryl said. He grabbed a headlight and gave it a once over before he put it down. A small chuckle escaped Aaron and he explained.

'Whenever I came across any parts out there I brought it back. I didn't know what I'd need and I always thought I would learn how to do it. Ava's actually been trying to read up on it, but I get the feeling you already know what to do with it. And the thing is you're gonna need a bike.'

Daryl walked along the workbench, feeling it with his hand. When Aaron finished he clenched his jaw and turned. 'Why?' he asked.

'I told Deanna not to give you a job because I think I already have on for you. I want you to be Alexandria's other recruiter. I don't want Eric out there risking his life anymore.'

Daryl nodded. 'You want me risking mine, right?' he said.

'Yeah, because you know what you are doing. You're good out there. But you don't belong out there. I know its difficult getting used to people getting used to you. And right now I get why you need to be out there sometime. So do I – ' Daryl walked over to the tarp and looked beneath it, inspecting the frame '–. But the main reason why I want you to recruit is that you do know the difference between a bad person and a good person.' Aaron continued.

Daryl inhaled sharply, his chest swelling. His eyes altered between Aaron and the bike unsure of how to respond to such a display of confidence in him.

'I've got nothing better to do.' He said and shrugged before looking at Aaron. 'Thanks' he added.

Aaron's lips twitched in to a small smile. 'We'll leave the garage open, so you can come by anytime to work on the bike.' He said. He turned to leave but noticed Daryl hesitate.

'I can help you if you want?' Aaron said, wondering what was bothering him.

'Nah, it's just that girl –' Daryl began.

'Ava?'

'-Yeah. She live here or something?' Daryl bit his thumb and looked to the door.

'No, she lives next door. We're just close, you know?' Aaron said. As if on cue they heard Ava's voice shouting through the door.

'NEXT WEEK? You're telling me he's planning another trip next week with a guy we've barely met? There are bad people out there Eric, I shouldn't have to tell you that! What if something goes wrong, what then huh?'

Aaron and Daryl looked at each other as they heard Eric's muted voice trying to calm her down. Sighing, Aaron walked over and opened the door.

'Ava –' he began as they stepped inside. Ava whirled around and threw her hands up when she saw them.

'Don't. I've heard enough already.' She said and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls shook.

The three men stood in silence for a few seconds. Daryl looked to Eric who shrugged his shoulders apologetically. It was Aaron that broke the silence.

'I'm sorry. It's really not about you.' he said to Daryl. When Daryl gave him a dubious glare he continued. 'Trust me, this has nothing to do with you or your encounter yesterday. Ava's just has a hard time trusting people she doesn't know. Surely you can understand that.' Aaron smiled that reassuring smile he had and Daryl believed him.

'She used to recruit with me herself, you know.' Aaron said after a while.

Daryl raised his brows, trying to picture her out there.

'Why she stop?' he asked.

'We met some bad people.' Aaron answered as his features hardened, his lip drawn to a thin line. Daryl didn't push any further and only bobbed his head in understanding.

He excused himself not long after. When he stepped out on the porch he noticed Ava sitting to his left, half hidden in the shadows. She didn't look at him. Instead she brought her arm up to her face, cigarette in hand. She seemed to be looking at something particular in the shadows on the other side of the road, her face deep in concentration.

Daryl took one step towards the stairs.

'Did you take it?' she said suddenly, gaze still fixed in front of her.

'Yeah.' He responded and walked down the stairs. Behind him he heard the scraping sound of a chair being pushed back.

'Daryl – wait.' she called. He wasn't sure why, but he complied and turned around. As she grew level with him she reached out her pack of cigarettes, shaking it slightly at him. He took one slowly and she brought her other hand up, lighting it for him.

He eyed her wearily as she put the pack away.

'I get it if you don't like me much. I probably wouldn't either if I were you. I'm not asking you to like me or to be my friend' She said. 'But I am going to ask you to be his.'

Her eyes found his, holding his gaze and her face grew stern.

'Listen, I've seen you with your group and you are more than just a group of people who survived together. You are a family. And I know that everybody has lost someone by now, yet you have to understand that those two people in there –' she turned and pointed back at the house. '– They are _my_ family. They are all that I have left now. So if you do this I need you to think of Aaron as one of yours. I need you to promise me that you won't abandon him if things get hairy out there. That you'll look after him the way I know he will look after you.'

Daryl looked at her. Her stern façade had given way for an almost pleading stance by the end of her speech. He wondered what had happened to her out there to make her this scared and suddenly he felt a strange kind of kinship with her.

'Ya don't have ta worry. I'll look after him. I promise.' He said.

Her shoulders relaxed, as if a huge weight had been lifted of her, her smile shone white in the dimly lit street.

He turned and started to walk away, and was surprised when he heard her footsteps beside him. She didn't say anything else though, and they walked together in silence. The only noise to be heard were their alternating, nicotine filled, exhales.

When they neared the house his group shared he heard her stop behind him.

'I'm sorry' she said.

He turned, surprised. 'For what?' he said.

'For doubting you.' She simply retorted. She dropped her bud to the ground and stomped it. Looking back up at him she gave him a half smile before she turned and headed back.

Daryl watched her retreating figure, a warm feeling spreading in his chest for the second time that night.


	3. Chapter 3

Ava groaned as her hand slid across her nightstand trying to locate her alarm clock, and let out an exasperated sigh when it somehow managed to elude her. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and grabbed the culprit finally ending its torturous song.

She got up and stumbled over to her bedroom window. Reaching above her head, she stretched – enjoying the mild sense of euphoria running through her. Outside the world was covered in different shades of grey, waiting to awake along side the first rays of sunlight.

Ava rubbed the last grains of sleep out of her eyes and quickly got dressed. She grabbed her knife before she left the house, making her way towards the gate. Once outside she broke into a light jog, heading for the forest. She'd always loved running in forests.

She leapt effortlessly through the air, trying to avoid the branches on the ground and revelled in the silence of the woods. Picking up pace she felt herself falling into a steady rhythm, her mind growing blank as all her energy focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

After a while she arrived at a small clearing. She carefully stepped over her roamer detector, a rope strung between the trees with empty cans tied to it. She let her eyes glide across the small clearing. Satisfied that it was roamer free she laid down on the forest floor, shivering slightly at the lingering chill from the night air.

She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. After a short while the first chirps of a bird song could be heard. She smiled, recognizing it. Soft and long tunes, with the occasional high-pitched chirps. It was a blackbird she'd learned after some research. It should've migrated for the winter, but for some reason it had remained behind. And now it sang its sad and confused song every morning, hoping for a response.

Ava tried to come here every morning to hear her bird sing. As she lay there listening to its song she felt as if it sang for the both of them. Briefly she allowed herself to wallow in her longing for home.

She must have dozed of, for when she opened her eyes to the faint sound of rattling cans she was met with a myriad of gold and green as the sun shone through the branches. She got up and walked over to the dead that lay crawling on the ground, it's leg caught in the rope. She sat down and drove her knife through its skull, silently cursing it for driving her bird away.

Ava started on her way back, running slower this time as she practised her stealth. After some time she heard faint voices to her left. She stopped, confused. There never used to be anyone out there at this hour. Curious she crept closer, careful not to give herself away. Soon she saw the outline of three people. To her surprise she recognized one of them to be Daryl. She squinted her eyes and saw that Rick and a woman whose name she couldn't remember accompanied him.

Crouching, she dared to move a bit closer so that she could make out their conversation.

She watched as the woman withdrew two guns from her bag, offering them to Daryl.

'Look, I've been thinking. Do we really need these? If things go bad yeah, sure we do what we gotta do, but it's like ya said, we don't need these for that.' She heard Daryl say.

'Right now we don't.' the woman answered, her tone almost baffled.

'Ya wanted me to try right?' Daryl continued, 'I'm good.' He didn't take the gun. She watched Rick hesitate for a second before he took one and stuffed down the back of his pants. Neither of them said anything else before they left.

Ava waited until she was sure they wouldn't catch her following them before she got up. Deep in thought she walked the rest of the way home, wondering what she should do with this newfound information.

She hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings before she found herself at Aaron and Eric's front door. She reached to open it out of habit, but suddenly hesitated. She hadn't spoken to them since her outburst the day before. Maybe they where mad at her for embarrassing them she wondered. Bracing herself, she opened the door.

Inside she found Eric propped up on the sofa, his leg resting on a pillow and a book in his hand. He looked up as soon as he heard her enter.

Unsure of what to do, she remained in the middle of the room, fiddling with the hem of her jeans pockets.

'I'm sorry for yesterday.' She said with eyes downcast, biting her lip.

Eric face softened immediately. He beckoned her forward with his hand, motioning for her to come and sit with him.

'Oh honey, it's ok. Come here.' He said. 'I'm sorry too. We shouldn't have sprung it on you like we did.'

Relief flooded through her and she sat down in the chair next to him. 'Maybe not, but that's no excuse for flipping out the way I did.' She said and looked down at her hands.

'I guess I do stupid things when I'm worried too, huh?' Ava continued. She looked up at him, a small smile at the curve of her lip. Eric laughed.

'We all do from time to time, even Aaron.' He reached out, giving her shoulder a small squeeze.

At the sound of Aaron's name Ava looked around her. 'Where is he anyway?'

'Oh, he's not here, he's down at the pantry.' Eric said. As soon as the words left his lips a loud sound of metal hitting the floor could be heard from the garage. Ava raised a brow questioningly at Eric who grimaced.

'That's another we were meaning to tell you. Daryl's going to be around for a few days while he's fixing the motorcycle.' He said.

'Of course, I should've guessed he'd know what to do with it.' Ava said. She got up and walked into the kitchen, thinking.

So Daryl was here. She thought back to the night before, to all the horrible things he must have overheard her saying about him, the sincerity in his eyes when he'd promised her he'd look after Aaron. She owed him the chance to explain himself.

'You want any coffee?' She called back to Eric in the living room.

'No, I'm good, thank you.' He said.

Ava returned with two cups, causing Eric to open his mouth to protest. 'I thought Daryl might want some.' She explained and raised one hand towards the garage door.

Now it was Eric's brows that rose. 'I need to apologize to him as well.' She said and hurriedly made her way to the garage to avoid further questioning.

She knocked softly before she entered. Daryl was sitting on the floor next to the bike frame, brows furrowed as he stared at it.

'Hey, I brought you some coffee.' She said, alerting him of her presence.

Daryl quickly got to his feet and grabbed the cup she offered, mumbling 'thanks' before taking several steps away from her.

She didn't say anything else, instead she just walked over to the frame. Daryl watched her intently as she inspected it. She was wearing that kind of fancy tight running gear from head to toe he noted as he let his eyes trail the curves of her body.

'So, do you think you can fix it?' she said, looking back at him.

Daryl jumped, quickly diverting his eyes. He grabbed the first thing he saw on the workbench beside him and inspected it closely. Realizing he'd just grabbed a roll of duct tape he quickly put it aside again and cleared his throat.

'Yeah, shouldn't take too long either.'

'Please, don't say that.' She laughed. 'Could you at least pretend that it'll be a little bit difficult? Aaron and I have scratched our heads for months over this thing.'

The corner of Daryl's lips twitched upwards. 'Do ya ride?' he asked, curios about her obvious fascination with it.

'Oh no. My dad did though. He had an old Suzuki from the early eighties. It was beautiful. I practically grew up on that bike.' She trailed her hand along the gas tank of the bike, her face blissful as she replayed old memories.

'Sadly he had to sell it before I got the chance to learn.' She continued and offered him an almost apologetic smile.

Unsure of how to respond Daryl merely nodded. Ava walked over to other end of the room, her back towards him.

'I saw you earlier today. Out in the woods.' She said softly, not looking at him. Daryl stilled.

'You could easily take this place, if you wanted. People here, they don't know how much the world has changed out there. And I don't think they want to know.' She turned towards him, but kept staring down into her coffee cup.

'I think you should give us a chance though.' She said, finally looking at him.

Daryl stared back at her as if he hoped to draw her thoughts out of her by sheer will. He bit his thumb.

'Whatever we do, it's gonna be Ricks call.' He said after a while.

'But he listens to you.' She said and walked towards him, causing Daryl to avert his eyes.

'Yes, people here might be weak, but they are good people.' Ava stopped in front of him, craning her neck in order to face him. ' _We_ are good people.' She corrected herself.

She touched his arm, forcing him to acknowledge her. 'Make him see that. We can learn if we're given the chance.' She said determined.

'Are ya gonna tell Deanna?' He asked. Ava's brows furrowed in thought.

'No. I wont tell anybody.' She answered after a few seconds.

'Why?' He demanded.

A small smile played at her lips. 'I already made the mistake of doubting you once. Just – don't make me regret this.'

Daryl looked down into her hazel eyes trying to determine whether she was telling the truth when he heard someone cough behind them. The two turned to find a middle-aged woman standing in the garage opening.

Suddenly aware of their close proximity they quickly stepped away from each other.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company Ava. You weren't at your house and when I saw Aaron and Erics garage were open I just assumed…' The lady started.

'Not to worry, Barbara. What can I do for you?' Ava said with a forced smile.

'I was just hoping that we could talk about Mason's recent assignment? I fear his progress isn't where it should be.' Barbara said quickly, her eyes shifting nervously to Daryl.

Ava let out an almost undetectable sigh. 'Of course, just give me a second and I'll be right with you.' She said. Barbara nodded hurriedly and left almost before Ava had finished talking, her social discomfort apparent on her face.

When alone again Ava threw her hands up as she started walking after her. 'There are walking corpses right on the other side of that wall and her biggest concern is her son's progress in algebra.' She said and gave Daryl a sheepish grin before she left.

Daryl remained unmoving several minutes after she was gone, trying to figure out what the hell he should make of her.

* * *

The sun had almost set when Ava walked up to her house later that day. Between her conversation with Barbara and teaching the kids she had found little time to process the day's events. She slumped down in a chair as soon as she reached the porch, relishing in the fact that she was finally alone. Her bliss was short lived, however as she heard footsteps approaching.

She opened her eyes and squinted against the low sun. Down in the street in front of her house she saw Rick facing her. She gave him a small wave and he nodded in acknowledgment heading her way.

Seeing the look in his eyes made Ava realize – he knew. Daryl must have told him.

She rose and gave Rick a curt nod as he walked up the steps to her porch.

'Ava was it?' he asked.

Ava merely nodded again. There was something about his eyes that unnerved her greatly. He stepped closer towards her.

'Listen, I don't know what it is you think you saw today -'

'We both know exactly what I saw today.' Ava cut him off.

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds and Ava felt her heart hammering against her chest.

'Daryl told me you had survived out there for a while. Therefore I hope that you can understand why we felt the need to be…' he paused, 'protected.'

Looking out across the street he sighed. 'I don't want to put you in a difficult position but I need to know that you're not going to tell anybody about what you saw today. There's no need for you to be afraid of us, we don't want to hurt you'

Rick turned back towards her and took another step closer. She could almost feel his breath on her face. 'But we are not leaving this place.' He spoke in a hushed, but strong voice.

Ava felt her glare waver but clenched her fists and made herself keep his stare.

'I've already told Daryl that I won't tell anybody. Seeing that the flow of information moves quickly between you I'm surprised that you didn't know that already.' She said through gritted teeth. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I'm suddenly feeling a bit chilly.'

Ava turned to leave, not offering him any goodbyes before entering her house and closing the door.

She let out a shaky breath as she leaned back against the door, listening to Ricks fading footsteps. Doubt crept over her. A million thoughts seemed to run through her head simultaneously, all culminating into one big question; what would happen to Aaron, Eric and her if they took Alexandria?

She looked over to her bookshelf, a plan forming in her head. She was going to need a map and a car.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been almost a week now since they arrived in Alexandria. Walking along the small lake in the morning sun next to Rick, Daryl felt restless. For the last few days he'd been working nonstop on the bike in Aaron and Eric's garage and now that it was done he was itching to try it.

'I've been thinking on heading out.' He said and looked to Rick for his reaction.

'Today?'

'Yeah, finished the bike yesterday. Need to take it for a spin before me and Aaron leave. Figured I could check out the neighborhood, see what we're dealing with.'

Rick glanced at him. 'You're worried the bike won't hold?'

'Nah, but best to be sure ya know.' Daryl shrugged and bit the inside of his cheek. The truth was that he just wanted to get out of there and ride for a while. He envied the ease the rest of the group seemed to have with settling in. And although it had been easier after Aaron gave him a job he never seemed to be alone anymore.

'We might need you here.' Rick said, his eyes scanning their surroundings. Daryl watched him. With the clean face and uniform he almost looked like he had when he'd first met him back in Atlanta. But his eyes still gave away that he was a different man now than he'd been back then.

Rick opened his mouth to continue, but was cut off by the sound of a heated discussion coming from around the corner. Daryl recognized Ava's voice.

'This isn't me asking for you permission Deanna.' She called.

The two men exchanged looks and Rick motioned for Daryl to follow him. Daryl almost objected. He hadn't seen her since that day in the garage. As they rounded the corner they saw Deanna holding up a pair of disarming arms towards Ava.

'Ava please – be reasonable. Why wont you just wait until one of the supply teams come back?' She pleaded.

'I've already told you. Either, the place is overrun in which case it would be stupid to risk anyone's lives for it anyway or it's not and I could be in and out in an hour. There's no need to involve anyone else, thus there's no need to wait for the supply team.' Ava said dismissively. 'Now, can I have the car or not?'

'Everything alright?' Rick interrupted them as he strode over with Daryl reluctantly in tow. Daryl's eyes shifted nervously towards Ava.

'We're fine, this doesn't concern you.' Ava said through gritted teeth, ignoring him completely and barely acknowledging Rick.

'Rick, Daryl.' Deanna, on the other hand, greeted them warmly. 'Perhaps you can help us solve this. Ava here want to go out to one of the local high schools and look for some more suitable textbooks for the kids, and I was just telling her that while I appreciate the sentiment think it is a horrible idea for her to go alone.'

'And medicine. The school's health room might not have been looted yet. It's not just for books.' Ava added quickly and looked down at her feet. Daryl noticed the tip of her ears growing pink.

'And like I said, I think it's a wonderful idea.' Deanna reassured her. 'I would just be more comfortable if you didn't go alone.' Her tone was that of a mother speaking to her child and looking at Ava's jaw flexing Daryl suspected it might be one of the reasons for her anger.

'Daryl could go with you.' Rick said suddenly jerking him out of his thoughts. Daryl gave him a glance that shot daggers. What the hell was he doing?

'He's heading out with the new bike today anyway.' Rick continued and turned to Daryl. 'You could fit Ava on the bike, right?'

Daryl glared at him, silently cursing him for putting him on the spot like that. Ava's equally hard glare told him she wasn't overly fond of the idea either, yet he found himself nodding reluctantly.

Rick smiled, obviously pleased with the outcome. 'That way you could pick up another car and maybe some gas on the way, so even if the place is overrun we'll get something out of it. What do you think?' He turned to Deanna.

'What a great idea.' She said. 'What do you say Ava?'

Ava's shoulders slumped in defeat. 'Fine.' She sneered and turned to Daryl, finally meeting his eyes. Her stare was icy and Daryl felt a pang of confusion. Looked like she was back to hating him.

'Meet me by the gates in 30 minutes. And don't be late.' She quipped before she turned on her heel and left.

'What the hell man?' Daryl hissed when he and Rick were alone again.

'I was afraid of what she might have told Deanna. This way you get to figure out what her plan is.' Rick explained as they continued walking.

Annoyance crept over him and he found that he regretted telling Rick about Ava's confession in the garage. 'I've already told ya, we can trust her.' He grumbled.

'I know.' Rick's face softened. 'I just don't want to take any chances. Just do this for me. For us.' Ricks eyes scanned his face, looking for a confirmation that he still had Daryl on his side.

Daryl sighed. He understood Rick's caution even if he felt slightly disappointed that he hadn't trusted his opinion. In the end he knew he'd stand by him no matter what.

'Sure, I'll do it.' He said before he turned back, heading for the garage.

Ava was already pacing at the gate when Daryl rolled up to it about 20 minutes later. As soon as she spotted him she strode over.

'Last chance to back out.' She said, causing Daryl to hesitate for a second.

'Nah, I promised Rick I'd go with ya.' He mumbled. Her fixed glare made him slightly uncomfortable. Her face darkened noticeably at the mention of Rick's name.

'Of course.' She muttered. She held out her hand at him and raised her eyebrows expectantly. Confusion spread on his face as he looked at her outstretched arm.

'What?' he asked.

'Your crossbow?' she said, incredulously. When he didn't respond she continued.

'How do you think I'll fit behind you if you have that strapped to your back?' She motioned to his crossbow.

He eyed her dumfounded, wondering where she was getting at. There was no way he was leaving it behind.

'Just give me the damn crossbow Daryl.' She scoffed.

Begrudgingly he complied. Ava slung the bow over her shoulder, securing it on her back, before she got on the bike behind him. As she settled down, Daryl cursed Rick for setting up this trip. Her legs pressed along the backsides of his, her arms resting along his sides. He suddenly felt too warm and his mouth turned dry.

'Ya might wanna hold on.' Daryl croaked.

'I'll be fine. Just drive.' She replied, giving a sign for the gate to be opened. Daryl cleared his throat in hope of relieving himself of some of the discomfort her close proximity had caused and set off.

They drove in silence, only broken by Ava's short commands for direction from time to time. After a while he managed to mostly ignore the feeling of her and focus on the bike. He had to admit it drove perfectly and he felt a small surge of pride that he'd built it. Hell, even Merle might have agreed that he'd done good if he'd seen it.

'This is it.' Ava called against the air behind him.

Daryl slowed down outside a large brick building. A sign out front read T.C. Williams High School. He scanned the area, noticing quite a few abandoned cars in the parking lot. Good, he thought to himself. The sooner they could get her off his bike and into a car the better.

He eyed the building again. The place seemed abandoned, and he couldn't see any walkers around. There was no way to be sure until they were inside though, and he started mentally assess all the ways things could go wrong in there. He watched Ava out of the corner of his eye as she came up beside him, holding her hand above her eyes and squinting against the sun. He wondered if she'd ever been on a run like this, if she knew what she was getting herself into. He was not going to take any chances – they would need a plan going in. He turned to her, opening his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

'So, I was thinking we should probably check out one of these cars first, get one of them running and back it up to the front door. There should be signs to both the library and the health room once we get inside. Both should be in the main building according to the brochure I found. I can't be sure though. We could save time by splitting up, but I don't know if that's the best idea if we find roamers trapped inside. What do you think?' Ava watched him expectantly.

Daryl remained with his mouth slightly open for a few seconds. She'd clearly thought of everything already.

'We stay together.' He mumbled and made his way to the first car. They were in luck, the third car they checked had the keys left in the ignition and half a tank of gas. Ava pulled a hose out of her bag and began to check the other cars for gas. Soon they'd managed to siphon the rest and filled a couple of jerry cans.

Daryl allowed himself to steal a couple of glances of her as they worked. A small sprinkle of sweat had formed on her brow and neck. Her hands worked expertly with the hose, her eyes constantly looking over her shoulder to see if they where still in the clear. Her hair was ruffled from the trip and her skin covered with small specks of dirt from where she'd wiped the sweat of with the back of her hand. Looking at her now she looked nothing like the rambling girl he'd met on the porch the first day in Alexandria.

When the car was backed up against the entrance they walked up to the front door. Daryl knocked two times on the glass and they waited. A lone walker stumbled towards them and Daryl nodded to Ava, motioning for her to get behind him as they went inside. He shot an arrow through its head, quickly retrieving it again.

He looked up and found Ava standing next to an information board, reading. Daryl realized that she was quite comfortable to be around when she didn't talk. She seemed unfazed by his less polished demeanor, just like Aaron.

'We need to get to the second floor.' She mumbled and turned to him. 'It should be this way.' She pointed to the stairs left of them. Daryl nodded and quietly got in front of her before they headed up the stairs.

* * *

Ava watched the wings stitched to the back of his vest sway with each step he took in front of her. An angel of death she thought as he swirled around corners, checking out rooms and corridors so fast that she felt utterly useless behind him. They'd met only a couple of roamers inside the school, and Daryl had disposed of them so quickly she'd barely had time to even register their presence. Ava grumbled silently behind him, he was ruining her plan.

'In here.' She whispered as she spotted the door to the library. The two looked inside, but they didn't see any sign of anyone – living or dead. Daryl banged on the door a few times and they waited just in case.

'Be careful.' Daryl muttered to her. She nodded and made her way towards the shelves, looking for a section containing textbooks.

'What kind of books do ya need?' She heard Daryl ask behind her.

'Anything that says introduction to something.' She called back.

Making her way around some shelves she found what she was looking for. She stuffed a couple of books on algebra and geometry in her bag along with a couple of history books. That'll be enough to satisfy Deanna she thought to herself. She rose and spotted Daryl looking at the English lit shelf. She was about to call out to him when she saw him stuff one of the books in his pocket.

'I got it.' She said to alert him as she rounded the corner. He jumped and grunted something she couldn't quite make out in reply. Out in the hallway she pointed to their right. They found the health room next to the counselor's office. When they got inside Ava let out a sigh of relief when most of the room seemed untouched.

Daryl began opening the cabinets and emptying everything of value into his bag. Ava made her way to the back of the room and almost let out a shriek when a pair of hands suddenly slammed on the glass door next to her. Before she knew it Daryl was beside her, his crossbow aimed and ready to fire. A second roamer slammed at the door, their growling jaws gnawing on the glass. Daryl lowered his bow and looked through the glass before he shrugged.

'They're not going anywhere, best just leave 'em.' He said to her and turned back to the opened cabinets.

Reluctantly Ava turned away from the door. They quickly stuffed their bags with whatever they could find, mostly light painkillers and basic first aid kits. Satisfied that they'd gotten everything they needed they nodded to each other and started back to the car.

Ava was deep in thought as they walked back. She hadn't been able to do what she came for. As she came to an abrupt halt, Daryl looked over his shoulder at her.

'I think I might've dropped something.' She said and motioned behind her. 'I'll meet you down by the car in a minute okay?'

Confusion spread on Daryl's face but Ava gave him no time to respond before she turned on her heel and started back to the health room.

She stopped once she got inside the door, listening for footsteps or any indication that Daryl had followed her. She heard nothing. Her eyes shifted to the glass door, and she approached it slowly. Ava watched their disgusting faces of death.

She counted three. Taking a deep breath she reached for the handle, her other hand tightening around her knife. It's now or never she thought. Determined she pulled open the door, grabbing the first roamer by its collar and jamming her knife in its skull. She took a step back while she flung the body to her side, her focus already shifted to the one behind it. She kicked in its knee so that it fell to its knees and drove her knife down on its head before jumping back, preparing for the last one.

The roamer came for her with its arms outstretched and she barely managed to sidestep its deadly grip. Utilizing its slow reflexes she came up behind it and stabbed her knife between its jaw and neck. Her heart pounded in her head as she watched it slump to the ground and she let out a shaky breath.

Ice ran down her spine as she suddenly felt something grip her from behind. She whirled around to face the fourth roamer, but lost her footing in the process. She felt herself fall, as she looked wide-eyed into the roamers face.

Black dots formed in her vision as the corner edge of the counter behind her made contact with her ribs before the weight of the roamers pulled her to the floor. She grabbed its shoulders, trying to push it of her. A panic grew in her chest as she felt the roamers skin come of its body, letting it hungry jaws slip closer to her face. She fumbled for her knife before she realized it must've slipped from her grip has she fell. Desperate, her eyes darted to her sides, trying to find it.

She spotted it a few feet next to her. Reaching out, she struggled with her fingers to catch the blade, wishing her arms longer. Not able to reach it, her mind went into overdrive. Maybe she could flip it, and somehow smash it's head against the tiles?

Before she could try the roamer suddenly dropped like deadweight in her arms. Looking up she saw a green arrow protruding through its head. She quickly pushed it of her.

Strong arms lifted her up.

'Did it get ya?' Daryl said and looked her over.

Ava shook her head, adrenalin pumping heavily in her veins.

'I had it.' She uttered faintly.

He gave her a last once over before he turned to the dead bodies. Looking from the pile to the open, unharmed door he seemingly quickly pieced together the dots.

'The fuck is your problem, girl?' He strode over to her, fury evident in his eyes. 'Ya trying to get yourself killed? That's what this whole thing was about, you opting out?'

'Or are ya just stupid?' He growled, watching her through narrowed eyes.

'What? No! I told you, I had it.' Ava said, her voice increasing.

'Oh yeah, it sure didn't look like it.' Daryl growled, his face inches from hers.

'I don't care what you thought it looked like. I didn't ask for your opinion. In fact I didn't ask for you to come at all. I can take care of myself.' Ava yelled, taking a step closer to him.

'Whatever girl, ya wont last long on your own if ya do stupid shit like that again, trust me.' Daryl spat.

'Trust you? Like you trusted me, huh? You couldn't even wait five minutes before you went running to Rick.' Ava was fuming. She went over to grab her backpack and knife, before she turned back to look at him. 'And I'm not a little girl that needs saving.'

Ava clenched her fists as they made their way back to the car, her veins pumping with rage. They didn't say another word to each other as they loaded the car. As soon as they were done Daryl got on his bike and drove out of the parking lot, not waiting to see if she followed.

Ava watched the wings on his back as he drove before her and slowly felt her anger rescinding. She groaned and let her chin fall on the steering wheel. Why did she always have to get so angry? A rumble in the sky drew her attention. The sky was filled with dark clouds. She'd been so angry when they'd left the school she hadn't noticed the change in the weather. A storm was brewing.

Soon enough the first drops of rain fell to the ground. She looked at Daryl to see if he was slowing down, but the wings kept on cruising steadily down the road. In a matter of minutes the rain was flooding from the sky and Ava reached to turn on the windshield wipers. She cursed when they flapped uselessly over the windshield.

She glanced at Daryl again, noting that he was already soaking wet by the looks of it. That stubborn bastard is going to ride through it she realized. Sighing she pulled up next to him, and rolled down her window.

'We have to stop.' She yelled through the wind.

'Nah, we can make it.' He called through gritted teeth.

'Don't be stupid.' She said and wiped her face, rain pouring in through the open window. He shot her a deadly glare.

'Fine. Maybe you can drive through this, but I can't. These wipers are rubbish and I can barely see the road. You can go on if you must, but I'm going to find a place to ride this one out.' She continued.

Daryl's mouth drew a slim line. 'Fine.' He growled. 'We'll hold up there.' He pointed to a house to their right. Ava nodded with relief and rolled up her window. She watched as Daryl opened the garage and drove inside, waving her along with her. Leaving most of her stuff in the car she grabbed her knife and headed inside after him.

As she stepped inside, Daryl came down the stairs. 'Place's clear.' He muttered and went into the living room.

She walked in after him and found Daryl with his back to her, looking out the window.

'We'll leave as soon as the rain clears.' He said. 'Don't do anything stupid.'

Ava took a deep breath and cursed the universe for getting her stuck during a storm with Daryl Dixon.


	5. Chapter 5

Ava watched all the little streams of water running down the window, imagining small obstacles obstructing their way whenever they split or turned. She'd used to love thunderstorms as a child, spending them curled up next to the window while she waited for the lightning to strike. Then she would count the seconds, giddy with anticipation for the sky to roar. Now, she wanted nothing more than for it to stop.

She dared another glance at Daryl. He hadn't moved from his spot on the floor in the far end of the room, furthest away from her, and stared on a particular spot on the wall as if there was something there that only he could see.

Between them stood a couch that Ava reckoned had once been a deep green color. Since then it had been covered in blood at sometime, making it a patchwork of dark browns now instead of green. The smell from it was foul, and she suspected a roamer was responsible for that. Thus they'd both opted for the floor.

She stole another glance. He hadn't said a word to her since they got there.

His hair covered most of his face, clinging to his skin in wet, uneven tresses. He had a wild look about him, she'd admit to that. Like a part of him belonged out in the wild and not behind the walls of Alexandria. She suspected he'd always been like that, even before.

His looks were unconventional, but as she watched him now she realized she found him quite attractive. She chalked it down to her adrenaline rush after he'd saved her life. There was no way she would admit to a genuine attraction to that man.

He didn't say much, and Ava found that somewhat refreshing. Most of the people in Alexandria spoke too much she reckoned, herself included. She groaned mentally. Clearly he must've thought she was crazy by now.

A shiver ran through her and she shifted slightly. Looking down, her brow furrowed. Her jacket was soaked after the short trip from the car to the house. She lifted her arm carefully to remove the jacket, but stopped abruptly from the pain shooting trough her side.

The adrenaline had long since given way to the aftermath of her tumble with the roamers. Every breath hurt and she reckoned she'd be sporting a nasty bruise in the next couple of days. Steeling herself she started pulling on her sleeve, the wet fabric clinging unforgiving on her skin. A pain-ridden hiss escaped her lips.

She heard movement from the other side of the room and looked up to find Daryl staring at her.

'Ya hurt?' He said in a gruff voice and gestured to her side. She shook her head in defiance. He already thought she was stupid, she would not add whiney to his list.

'No, I'm fine.' She said through gritted teeth and resumed the struggle with the sleeve. She stifled a groan the best she could when the jacket finally caved and released her shivering shoulders.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Daryl stand up and make his way towards her.

'Let me see.' He muttered as he sat down next to her. Sighing she rolled up her sweater and exposed her ribs.

'What happened?' He asked as he inspected the area closely. His hands made contact with her skin and Ava jumped slightly at the feeling. They were warm.

'I fell onto the desk.' She said, embarrassed now that she realized how foolish she'd been. 'Knocked the wind out of me, that's all.' She looked at him with small grin in an attempt to lighten the mood, but he didn't meet her eyes, his focus remaining at her bruised side. Looking down, Ava could see a faint discoloration forming already.

'Does it hurt when ya breathe?' He asked.

'Yeah. A little bit.' She admitted softly.

His calloused fingers traced her ribs with an unnerving precision. She could feel his breath hot on her skin, the sensation causing goosebumps to form beneath his fingers. Ava bit her lip and looked away, fixing her stare on the wall behind him.

'Where's does it hurt?' he asked.

'Uhm. There.' She croaked and pointed to a spot under her right arm. His right hand sought it out and stilled on top of it.

'Take a deep breath.' He instructed and Ava complied. As her lungs filled with air he pressed along her ribs causing her to groan in pain.

'Sorry.' He muttered. 'It's badly bruised but it ain't broken. Ya'll be fine.'

He looked at her, meeting her eyes for the first time. They were impossibly blue she noticed now that she saw them this close.

'Thank you.' Ava cleared her throat. Daryl quickly averted his eyes and pushed himself away from her as if her words had burned him. His shoulders rose in an awkward shrug as he reached for his bag. He rummaged through it, looking at the different pill bottles.

'Here.' He said and handed her one of them along with a bottle of water, his eyes refusing to look at her. 'For the pain.'

Ava opened her mouth to object more out of habit than anything. Painkillers was a valuable resource these days. But looking at Daryl she thought better of it, not wishing to seem ungrateful for his help. She swallowed one pill and handed the bottle back to him.

'You seem to know an awful lot about these things.' She said, casting a shy glance in his direction. He seemed like a guy that would've been in a fight or two in his life she reckoned.

Daryl shot her a sharp look and resumed nibbling on his thumb, seemingly refusing to acknowledge her.

Ava let out a soft sigh and leaned back against the wall. Talking to this guy was like a social minefield.

'I'm sorry' she said. 'It's not my place.'

They fell into another silence and Ava returned her focus to her little window rivers.

'Why'd ya do it?' he asked suddenly, surprising her. When she looked over at him she was even more surprised to find him staring at her intently, waiting for her to answer. She´d come to believe that he'd probably reached his speaking quota for the day, but he'd proven her wrong.

'Well I wasn't trying to opt out as you put it.' She chuckled half-heartedly, before her brows furrowed. She weighed her next words for a few seconds, and realized that she hadn't really thought about the why part of it before now. The last days felt like a blur to her.

'I guess I needed to know that I could still do it.' She started slowly. Looking over at Daryl again she found that he was still staring at her. God, his stare was intimidating.

'That I could still survive out here.' She clarified and gestured to the space around them.

'Seeing all of you back in Alexandria made me realize that I haven't really been out here for a long time. Then I saw you guys out in the woods and Rick came by my house and I got scared. It felt like you had already taken it and I wasn't sure if there would be room for the rest of us there anymore.' Ava drew a deep breath and looked to the ceiling before continuing. 'I panicked. With Eric's injury and everything it suddenly felt like I was running out of time. I came up with this whole thing, the need for new books and everything, just so that I could see if I could still go on a run by myself.'

She paused. 'So I guess that does make me stupid, huh?' She chuckled slightly, daring a glance at Daryl to see his reaction. She certainly felt stupid now that she'd said it out loud.

Daryl watched her for a second before turning away from her, resting his head back against the wall again. 'Nah, I guess ya did have it'

A small smile played at the corner of his lips, and Ava realized that might be the closest she'd seen him smile.

Ava gave an unladylike snort. 'No, I was lucky you came when you did.' She smiled, staring down at her hands.

They fell into a comfortable silence until Daryl surprised her yet again by speaking.

'I told Rick we could trust ya.' His voice was so low that Ava could barely make out the words.

Her chest swelled, but his tone made her realize that he blamed himself at least partly for her folly. Ava bit her lip, uncertain of how to respond.

'Does he?' she finally asked.

Daryl shifted uncomfortably, and therein lay her answer. Rick didn't trust her, and Ava suspected he didn't trust anyone outside their group. From what she'd observed in the last few days this was a trait he shared with most of his group. It made her all the more grateful for Daryl's trust.

'He will.' Daryl muttered. 'He's… we've… some bad stuff went down before we got here.' He continued, clearly struggling to find the right words.

'You lost someone, didn't you?' Ava asked.

'Everybody's lost someone by now.' Daryl shrugged dismissively.

'Yeah.' Ava muttered. 'Doesn't mean it hurts any less though.'

She looked over at him and found that he'd resumed watching his magical spot on the wall and Ava realized that their conversation was over.

With Daryl returning to his stone shell she got up awkwardly, trying to move in a way that didn't hurt her side as much, desperately in need of something to do to pass the time.

She hobbled out to the kitchen, her body stiff and bruised. She found the kitchen and started rummaging for anything they could use, but the place seemed to have been cleared out by its previous occupants.

She got on her knees, hissing slightly as she stretched as far as she could to look in the back of one of the lower cabinets. It seemed to be filled with just pots and pans and Ava almost closed the door again before she spotted a black bottle lodged behind a large pot. Reaching in she pulled out what she found to be a bottle of red wine.

'Jackpot' she mumbled to herself. 'I guess someone didn't want anybody to know about you huh?'

It looked like it was some cheap generic brand and probably tasted like shit, but Ava couldn't care less. It looked like liquid gold to her now.

As she got to her feet her grin widened even more after she looked out the window. She turned around and hobbled as quickly as she could back to the living room.

'It's stopped rain-' She started triumphantly as she returned only to find Daryl up and ready to leave.

'Let's go' he grunted and headed for the door without looking at her. Shoulders slumped she got her things and followed him. At least something good came of this she thought as she felt the bottle of wine pressing against the back of her backpack.

* * *

Later that night Ava sat on her porch sipping to her cheap red wine while resting comfortably in clean, dry clothes. From her open window rang the low, soft tunes of David Bowie from her stereo.

She had almost started crying when she'd found a best of cd in a gas station along the road. At least that was what she'd told everybody else in her group at the time. The truth was that she had bawled her eyes out clinging to the cd as if it were a long lost relative. Grief worked in mysterious ways she'd learned over the last two years.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to forget her sore muscles for a while. She groaned at the sound of approaching footsteps and raised her head slightly to see who it might be.

Her face relaxed when she noticed it was just Daryl walking down the road, most likely returning from Eric and Aaron's garage. She gave him a small wave and a small smile before leaning back in her chair again, expecting him to walk on by her.

She almost jumped out of her chair when she heard him walking up the steps to her porch.

He remained on the edge of the porch, half hidden in the shadows from the light above her.

'Hey.' She said softly.

While he didn't respond he did take a few steps towards her and reached his hand out. Looking down she saw that he was holding a book.

'I thought ya might want it.' He muttered with his eyes to the ground. Unsure of what to say Ava merely sat down her glass of wine and took the book from him. The cover read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She almost let out a laugh of disbelief but luckily thought better of it when she looked back up at Daryl.

He shifted uncomfortably where he was standing, his eyes darting anywhere but on her.

'I just found it lying around in our house and I thought since you're a girl and ya know, British and all, ya might want it. Or ya can throw it away or ya know, whatever.'

Ava had to admit she was absolutely baffled that he would know of Jane Austen, but knew better than to say that. Instead she smiled brightly at him. 'Thank you, Daryl.'

He muttered something she couldn't quite make out and turned to leave.

'Wait' She called out after him. 'Don't you want some?' She held up the bottle of wine in front of her when he turned back towards her.

'Please.' She smiled when she noticed his reluctance. 'Just one glass.'

A wave of satisfaction ran through her when he walked behind her to sit down in one of the chairs next to her. She got up and headed inside to get him a glass, marveling at the pleasant turn of events.

After pouring him a glass and offering him a cigarette she sat back down in her chair.

She took a small drag of her own cigarette, careful not to take too deep breaths and looked up at the clear night sky.

'I found it back in the house we stopped at.' She said after a short while.

'It's good.' Daryl mumbled to her left.

She gave him a sly grin. 'It's bloody awful is what it is.'

She saw his lips twitch slightly upwards. 'Yeah, it's pretty shit'

She chuckled lightly, letting her eyes linger on his face. He met her stare for a split second and she gave him a warm smile before turning back to the night sky. They fell into a comfortable silence after that and Ava realized that today hadn't been so bad after all.


	6. Chapter 6

'Morning.' Ava chirped as she entered the pantry. She was greeted by a dark haired woman of ample proportions.

'Ava, hi.'

Olivia smiled as she looked up from her clipboard. She stood in front of a rack of shelves, counting the number of canned goods each of them contained.

'I heard you had quite the day yesterday?'

Her words caused Ava to falter ever so slightly in her step. Yesterday's events flooded her memory along with embarrassment. Her right hand involuntarily reached up to graze her sore side, a fresh reminder of her own stupidity.

Suddenly it was the memory of warm, calloused hands accompanied by piercing blue eyes that engulfed her. Her stomach fluttered slightly while a red hue danced across her cheeks.

A gleeful sound escaped Olivia and Ava cursed her bodily betrayal.

'Tell me everything." Olivia put her clipboard down, giving Ava her full attention while grinning widely.

'Please don't do this Olivia.' Ava sighed, her eyes pleading. 'There's really not much to tell.'

'Not much to tell?' Olivia replied with feigned dramatics, placing a hand on her chest for emphasis. 'Are you telling me that the town's school teacher, our very own English rose rides off on the back of a motorcycle with our new, mysterious leather-clad bad boy and you have nothing for me?'

A small snort escaped Ava as she tried to squeeze past the woman to get further into the pantry. 'I'm sorry. I guess there isn't really any way to put a sexy spin on a trip to get children's school books.'

'Are you kidding me? I can think of at least ten scenarios from the top of my head. The two of you alone in the library, his strong arms holding you up against the shelves…' Olivia listed blissfully as she trailed after Ava into the next room.

'Oh God. Stop.'

'But you know how much I miss my soaps Ava. Please just let me have this' Olivia groaned.

'I'm sorry, but I refuse to be the substitution for you romance novels.' Ava chuckled before turning her attention to the stocked shelves. 'I'm serious.' She continued when Olivia lingered behind her.

'Fine.' Olivia sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat. 'Listen, I need to pop up to use the ladies room real quick. Can you just write down whatever you're taking and leave it here for me?'

'Of course.' Ava nodded and waved her off, grateful that the conversation was over.

'You two would look good together though, are you sure that you're not -' Olivia started from the hallway.

'Bye, Olivia.' Ava called laughingly after her. The other woman scoffed before she left. Ava listened until she heard the door close behind her.

Left alone she let out a sigh of relief. As she began picking what she needed from the shelves, Olivia's words kept replaying in her head. The fact annoyed her. It was the ideas of an entertainment starved individual, nothing more.

She grabbed a can of tomato soup, rolling it in her hand while not really staring at it. She did enjoy his company. The realization somewhat surprised her. He had been rude, abrasive and unpleasant towards her since they met. But in between that she'd seen glimpses of a kind and gentle man.

Yes, she enjoyed his company.

Ava suddenly felt uneasy. Her brow scrunched when she realized she was still holding the can of soup. Why was she thinking so hard about this? Decent people was a commodity these days, she should be glad Daryl had turned out to be a good guy.

Her list of people she enjoyed in Alexandria was embarrassingly short and consisted mostly of the youngsters she taught. Eric, especially, would be proud if she added another name to it.

She thought back on Daryl and briefly wondered if they could even become friends. Then she remembered the myriad of annoyed glances she had received from him the day before. Yep, Olivia was way off base with that one she chuckled to herself.

Returning her attention to the task at hand she tossed the soup can in her bag. She made quick process of the rest, getting everything she needed and everything on Eric and Aaron's list as well. She was just about to leave when she heard a pair of voices entering through the door. Upon recognizing them as Shelly and Barbara she groaned silently, resting her head at the top shelf.

They were speaking in hushed voices and Ava couldn't make out what they were saying until she had almost rounded the corner to the hallway.

'Goodness that man scares me.' She heard Shelly say in a heated whisper. She stopped instinctively, remaining hidden.

'Did you hear that Ava went out alone with him yesterday?' Barbara replied.

'No?' Shelly drew out the o's in surprise.

'Oh yes, and you should have seen the way she looked when they got back. All roughed up'

'You don't think that he -'

'Who knows, but I wouldn't put it past him. I still can't believe that Deanna let that redneck and the rest of his gang in. I for one, have started locking my doors now.'

Ava's jaw tensed and she could feel her blood start pumping in her veins. She closed her fist until her knuckles were white. She took a deep breath and tried to will the outrage she felt away. Ignore it, she thought to herself. Nothing good will come of it. It was a mute point to argue against stupidity.

'Me neither. I bet you he was a criminal before this. He just has that look.' Shelly said, matter-of-factly. 'That's why I can't believe that Ava would agree to go out there alone with him, but then again you remember how she was like when she first got here. I swear, she scared me half to death at times.'

'I don't care what Deanna says, sometimes I fear she might not be a good influence on my kids' Barbara replied.

Ava couldn't take anymore and finally found the use of her legs, rounding the corner while clearing her throat. The two women almost jumped out of their skins.

'Heavens. Ava – we didn't see you there.' Shelly stated meekly. Ava only offered her a cold stare and pushed past her towards the door. Inside she repeated her mantra over and over. _It's not worth it. It's not worth it._

'I don't know what you think you heard but-' Barbara started, voice thin, but Ava cut her off with a raised hand.

'I heard enough.' Ava pressed out between gritted teeth and reached for the door. God, she had to get out of there.

'Honey, we're only worried about you.' Shelly called after her. Ava paused, her arm suspended in the air. She closed her fist tightly. There was no rising above it she realized.

'Why? Why would you be worried?' she all but snarled and swirled around to face the duo.

Shelly seemed taken aback. 'It's just this guy. He might be dangerous.'

'And it's not just you' Barbara quickly joined in. 'We fear that you're not setting the best example for the kids'

Ava drew a shaky breath. She had been working on moments like this, working on keeping her temper in check. Yet, in the back of her mind she knew she had lost her battle the minute she'd turned back around. Now, she might as well enjoy it.

'You have to remember that you have certain responsibilities' Barbara stuttered and took a step back.

'Responsibilities?' Ava asked, incredulous, yet not intending to wait for an answer. She felt the familiar surge of rage and she reveled in it. After the outbreak she'd found that anger was always the easiest feeling.

'My responsibilities to those kids is to teach them how to think for themselves, something they will clearly not learn from you' She hissed and stepped closer to the two ladies. 'As for this dangerous man you are so worried about, he has a name and it's Daryl. You best remember that name because trust me, the day will come when you'll be screaming for him to save your sorry lives.'

Ava could hear her voice grow louder and found that she didn't care.

'You see, it's not Daryl that I should be afraid of; it's the likes of you simple-minded idiots. Cause when a horde of roamers are coming towards me you can be damn sure I'll want Daryl there beside me and not you two cowards.'

'You can't talk to us like that' Shelly sputtered, her eyes wide with shock.

'You better apologize right now or I'll make sure you're not teaching another day in this community.' Barbara's face was now matching her auburn hair.

'Oh sweetheart, did you just try to threaten my post apocalyptic career? You truly are as stupid as you look aren't you. Listen, there are corpses walking into our walls on a daily basis, you really think I give a shit about whether or not you want me to teach your kids? You can tell Deanna whatever the fuck you want. But if I hear you talking shit about my family or Daryl again, I'll make sure you'll regret it.'

By the end of her speech Barbara's mouth was bobbing like a goldfish while Shelly's face was drained of color.

'Now unlike yours, that is not an empty threat.' Ava called over her shoulder as she stepped outside, slamming the door shut behind her.

Adrenaline ran through her and she started walking away from the pantry in large strides so preoccupied that she nearly walked straight into the two men outside. Raising her head she looked into Aaron's puzzled eyes. Beside him was Daryl who looked away immediately.

'What are you doing here?' she barked.

'The armory. We're heading out.' Aaron said and looked over her shoulder. Ava followed his gaze to see Shelly and Barbara peeking through the window, perfecting the look of suburban shock. The only thing that was missing was actual pearls for them to clutch. The two women quickly withdrew from the window, the curtain swaying from the sudden movement.

'What happened here?' he asked.

'Nothing. Just a small misunderstanding that's all.' Ava muttered and pushed past them. She needed to calm down, alone.

Behind her she could hear Aaron mumble some apologies to Daryl before following her. She cursed under her breath. She was not ready for Aaron's voice of reason just yet. She wanted to wallow in her anger just a little bit more.

Aaron broke into a jog next to her to keep up. He reached for her shoulder.

'Hey, slow down'

She turned her head and glared at him but slowed her pace.

'You want to tell me what really happened?'

Ava bit her lip, refusing to look at him. She knew that he had that worried expression he always got and that it would be sufficient to wipe the last residues of her anger away.

'Ava' Aaron sighed. 'The window was open'

Ava halted. 'Then you already know'

'Hey' Aaron dipped his head to meet her eyes. When he did he offered her a small smile.

'You had every right to get mad in there.'

Ava's lip turned upwards into a half smile and she kicked a small pebble off the road. 'They are the worst, right?

Aaron let out a small laugh and put his arm around her shoulders as they resumed walking. 'The absolute worst'

'I'm fine though. Really.' Ava said after a little while. 'You don't have to worry.'

'I'll always worry about you Ava' He said in a muted, warm voice before giving her shoulder one last squeeze. 'Come on, I'll make you some coffee'

* * *

Daryl yanked his knife loose from the windowsill absentmindedly before bringing the blade down into the wood again. His eyes were fixed at a point front of him, but his gaze was turned inwards.

There had been no way that he would go in to the armory alone after Aaron left. Not with those two women still inside.

Ava's words kept running through his head. His insides churned again, seemingly stuck between emotions. Whenever his chest swelled at her praise his stomach dropped. Why did he care? The question ran through him for the millionth time. It made no sense.

His knuckles turned white as his fingers tightened around the handle and he brought the blade down hard. Anger filled him when he thought of her smiling face from the night before. It was like she was mocking him with it.

He had grown to accept the group's affection towards him and his own feelings as real. He knew that because of the raw hole he felt inside after Beth's death. Rick was as much his brother as Merle ever was. Carol and the rest of them was the family he'd never had. But they had been through so much shit together. Daryl figured that was why they cared for each other so deeply.

Ava wasn't part of that family. She hardly even knew him and yet she was running her mouth at the others, defending him. She had no right he thought, slamming the knife down hard again. He wanted to yell at her, make her see the real him. Set her straight. Hell, she was a smart girl. She'd see.

Or maybe that was it. Maybe she had somehow been able to see through him and now she pitied him. Or thought him weak, and felt the need to protect him. The very idea of that made his jaw tense, muscles dancing tersely across his temple.

Yet, whenever he heard her words running through his head a small ripple of electricity jolted through his stomach. It was a strange feeling, being defended by a girl like her.

'What did the window sill ever do to you?' Carol's voice jerked him out of his thoughts. Looking down his brows furrowed. The sill was ridden with deep marks from his knife.

'Nothing' he muttered and got up. 'What are ya doing?' he motioned towards the basket she was carrying.

'Cooking. You want to help me?'

A strange sound escaped his nose and Carol winked at him.

'So I was down at the pantry earlier. Seems like you made a new friend yesterday?' Carol crooked an eyebrow at him while she emptied her basket on the kitchen counter. Daryl tensed again.

'We ain't friends.' He said defensively.

'She didn't like your book?' Carol raised her brows and smiled innocently, voice thin.

Daryl felt the tip of his ears get warm. He scowled at her and walked over to his crossbow, swinging it across his shoulders. Damn her all knowing ways.

'I'm going out.' he grumbled and didn't offer her a second look on his way out.

'Oh, come on.' Carol called after him, laughter succeeding her words. 'I'm joking'

'Whatever.' he waved her off as he walked down off the porch. This place was bullshit.

His mood hadn't improved much when he returned hours later with two dead rabbits tied together, dangling off his shoulder. He'd hoped that some fresh air and space around him would help him forget about the annoying brunette but he'd been wrong. Her stupid voice had been ringing in the back of his mind all day.

He was about to turn left down the street to their house when he saw the lights were on at Eric and Aaron's porch. In the shadows he glimpsed Ava's long dark hair. He turned right, marching towards her.

He'd just tell her to mind her own damn business and be done with her intruding in his thoughts all day.

Ava jumped at the sound of his boots clambering up the stairs but she quickly recovered. Upon recognizing it was him against the afternoon sun she beamed.

'We have to stop meeting like this' she laughed. She held up the book she was reading, it was the book that he gave her the night before. 'I'm almost done, see?' She flipped the book to show him the remaining pages.

She smiled at him, a warm and genuine smile. Her hazel eyes seemed dark brown now in the fading light. She really was beautiful. Daryl felt his determination waver. Why did she always have to smile at him like that. There were no expectations in her eyes, no fear or hesitation. Just warmth. He felt his anger melt away and for a minute he let himself marvel in the way she looked at him.

Suddenly he became painfully aware of how long he'd stood there without saying something. He cleared his throat, looking down at the rabbit hanging down his side. The words he'd been replaying in his mind, the ones he'd planned on saying to her had all disappeared, leaving only a blank slate. Before he could think he'd lifted the string over his shoulder and thrust it forwards towards her.

Her brows furrowed as she looked down at the dead animals swaying below his hand.

'Rabbits' she said slowly before looking back up at him. 'Are you giving me rabbits? Her eyes were now filled with confusion. Daryl noticed the way her nose wrinkled ever so slightly when she got confused.

'Nah.' He said, his voice just short of cracking.

What was he doing? He couldn't just hand her two dead rabbits like that. The air suddenly felt warm and thick around him.

'They're for Aaron.' He added when his brain finally regained some function. 'I promised him some rabbits.'

'Oh. Do you want me to get him for you?'

'Will ya just take 'em?' The words came out harsher than he intended, but all he could think of was getting off that porch.

'Yeah, sure.' She said hastily and grabbed the string from him. Daryl felt his skin burn from where her fingers grazed his.

'Thanks.' He mumbled and turned away before she could say something else. He hurried off the porch and quickly put some distance between them by walking briskly down the street.

He didn't slow down until he had slammed the door to his house shut behind him.

'Daryl?' He heard someone call after him but he ignored it, taking the stairs two steps at the time. Once he reached the attic he propped his crossbow against the makeshift bed and flopped down on it. Reaching behind his head with his arm he stared up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.

It had to be this place he thought. It was driving him insane. He felt relived that it was just one more day until he and Aaron were heading out. A couple of days out on the road again and he'd be fine. Just one more day and he would be able to get her out of his system.

Ava's confused eyes flashed before him and he groaned, rubbing his face. He just had to avoid her until then.

* * *

 **A/N Thank you so much to everybody that has left such lovely reviews, it really helps my motivation. To the quest reviewer, I haven't really decided what to do about the whole Rick/Jessie storyline but I agree that it lacked chemistry on the show. I don't think I'll want to bring it that heavily into this story at least. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'm having a blast writing it! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Daryl felt his hair starting to stick to his skin and wiped the damp tresses from his vision. The sun had long since joined him on his hunt. He'd been out since before sunrise, not able to spend another minute behind the walls of Alexandria.

As soon as he stepped out through the gate he'd felt ten pounds lighter. Solitude had always felt like a second skin to him. Before, when it had been just him and Merle his days had been spent with a constant numbness. Now they were filled with all this noise. The irony of finding the post apocalyptic world too noisy was not lost on him but the fact remained all the same.

The forest was quiet except for the occasional rustling of leaves against the fading gusts of wind. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a sudden movement and he quickly stepped behind the nearest tree. Whatever it was it had moved to fast to be a walker and Daryl silently pulled the crossbow from behind his back. He listened intently but heard only silence. Crouching slightly, he started to make his way back in a large circle with his senses on high alert.

Soon he spotted a figure through the branches. He could tell it was a woman, but the bushes in front of him obstructed his view. Creeping closer he saw that the woman was crouching with her back towards him, seemingly intently focused on something on the ground in front of her.

Daryl took a deep breath and aimed his crossbow as he took two large strides towards the woman, loosing his cover. The leaves rustled below his feet and the woman jumped, instinctively reaching for her knife as she turned towards him.

Daryl cursed under his breath and lowered the crossbow instantly upon recognizing her.

'The hell are ya doing?' he demanded, his voice coming out almost like a growl. Yet when Ava's hazel eyes found his own her face broke into a warm smile.

'Daryl! You scared me half to death.' She laughed and got to her feet, brushing off dirt from her knees.

'Ya following me or somethin'?' he snarled, his annoyance undeterred by her smile.

Ava's brow furrowed at his words, her mouth opening slightly before closing again.

'What? No, I was just following these –' She started; gesturing to the footprints she had been crouching over a few seconds earlier, before stopping. Her mouth formed a small o, and her face fell slightly in realization as she viewed his muddy boots.

'Oh'

She turned back towards him with a sheepish grin, fingers scratching the back of her neck.

'How did you know I was here though?'

Daryl raised his brows; as if it was the dumbest question he had heard in a while. When he didn't answer she pressed him.

'Seriously, I made sure to not make a sound.'

'Don't matter how silent ya are if I can see ya from miles away.' He snapped and Ava took a step back, surprised at his anger.

'The hell were ya thinking anyway, who knows who could've spotted ya following their tracks. Next time ya might not be so lucky.'

Daryl glared at her. He couldn't tell why it bothered him so, her being out here alone. He'd managed to wipe the smile off her face but it didn't make him feel as he'd hoped. Now her jaw was set and there was a glimmer in her eye that made his stomach churn.

'Just what exactly is your problem Daryl?'

'My problem?'

 _You are my problem_ his mind added. He cursed under his breath. This woman was getting under his skin.

'My problem, earl grey, is people who don't know what the hell they're doing.'

He closed the gap between them in two large strides, brushing past her shoulder. He squatted down by his footprints and place two fingers down in the heel imprint before looking back at her.

'With a print as fresh as this one ya can still feel the mud being slightly colder than the rest of the ground, telling ya the print is so fresh that yer practically standing on top of whatever yer following. Which should've made ya keep a fucking eye on your surroundings instead of hunching down like some damn walker bait.'

'Can you teach me?' Her interrupting request caught him off guard as she lowered herself next to him to get a better look. He'd expected her to run the other direction after his speech, not coming closer.

He opened and closed his mouth before saying the first thing that came to his mind.

'Don't ya have a class to teach or something?' He tried to pass it off as a snarky remark but failed.

'I –' She hesitated. 'Deanna thought it best that I took the day off, considering what happened yesterday.'

She didn't look at him as she spoke and Daryl thought she looked so small in that moment that he suddenly felt the urge to reach out his hand out to cradle her face from the world. He brushed the feeling off as quickly as it had appeared, but couldn't shake the guilt he felt for her situation.

He rose to his feet, swinging the crossbow across his shoulders before turning to leave. The decision came to him before he had time to think any more of it.

'Fine.' He grumbled.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a huge smile returning to Ava's face as she rushed to her feet.

'But ya have to keep up, I ain't stopping if ya get tired.'

She nodded feverishly before falling in step behind him.

'So – considering what you said about the prints I'm guessing you didn't actually see me from miles away then, did you?'

He looked behind him to find Ava grinning at him.

'And no more talking' He grunted before casting one last annoyed look over his shoulder. Behind him he heard Ava let out a small chuckle but she did as he'd asked.

The next couple of hours went by in silence only broken by Daryl's short commands or explanations. He begrudgingly had to admit that she was a quick study. As the sun rose higher in the sky he could sense her growing tired but she didn't complain or fall behind. There seemed to be no game in the forest that day, and whatever tracks they stumbled upon proved to be too old to use.

After a while he stopped to take a sip of water and then handed the bottle to her. Daryl watched her as she tilted her head back to drink. The movement caused a drop of sweat to run down from the back of her head, down her neck and over her collarbone before it disappeared underneath the neckline of her shirt.

He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry and quickly averted his eyes.

'Thanks.' Ava held out the bottle to him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. A strange sound escaped his lips but she didn't seem to notice.

They walked on for another hour or so before they stumbled upon a small creek shifting it's way through the forest. The sun stood high in the sky and Daryl wiped the sweaty tresses from his eyes yet again. Daring a glance at the girl next to him he found her mimicking him, dragging the back of her hand across her forehead. She stared longingly at the water but kept silent. When he made no sign to move she turned towards him, eyebrow raised in a silent question.

'Ya wanna stop here for a while?' He asked her, his voice sounding foreign to him all of a sudden. Her face erupted in a large grin before she hunched down to kick off her sneakers.

'I thought you'd never ask.' She laughed and made her way to the river's end, dropping herself unceremoniously to the ground and dipping her toes below the surface. She let out a soft sigh and leaned back on her hands while closing her eyes.

Daryl remained behind her, shifting his weight from foot to foot. The sun made the ripples in the water shine like small diamonds around her feet and in that moment she looked so peaceful he almost held his breath as to not disturb her.

Ava turned her head and opened one eye, squinting against the sun over her shoulder. She patted the ground next to her, inviting him to join her while turning her lips upwards in a half smile.

'Come on, I know you want to.'

She leaned further back once again dropping her weight to her elbows before closing her eyes against the sun while Daryl made his way to sit down next to her. After a moment's hesitation he quickly pulled of his boots, throwing them as far as he could behind them before dropping his own feet down in the stream. From the corner of his eye he could see Ava peer at him through lidded eyes with a smug smile tugging at her lips.

He scoffed slightly, looking down at his own dirty feet next to her small and pale ones. It was such an innocent thing to do yet it made him feel almost naked beside her. Stealing another glance at her he found that her face gave nothing away. It seemed unfair to him then that she should look so calm all the time.

After a while Ava shifted beside him, reaching her hands behind her and into the black fanny pack around her waist. She pulled out a protein bar and ripped open the wrapping before splitting the bar in two, handing one half to him.

He was about to refuse when his stomach betrayed him with a loud rumble and he grabbed it from her wordlessly.

'Thank you for this.' She said between bites. 'I really needed the distraction.'

'Didn't mean to get ya in trouble.' He muttered below his breath causing Ava's head to whip towards him.

'What? – No. No, it had nothing to do with you.' She shifted and sat up straight, turning slightly away from him.

She picked up a small stick next to her and started poking the water with it and remained silent for so long that Daryl thought their conversation was over before it had even begun.

'I – she hesitated, 'I had an attitude problem of sorts when I first came to Alexandria. I don't know whether it was PTSD from my time on the road or just the struggle of adjusting but anyway I kept lashing out aggressively and spiraling more and more out of control. By the end of it I'm sure I would've been banished if it wasn't for Aaron and Eric taking me under their wing.' She dropped the stick, her eyes following it as it made is way down the stream before getting stuck between two rocks.

'I was put on recruiting just so that the town wouldn't have to deal with me full time.' She chuckled without humor.

'That's why everybody looses their shit whenever I'm not smiling or happy. Like being angry in this fucked up world is what's so crazy.' He voice hardened and she threw a rock at the stuck stick with stiff movements failing to knock it loose.

'Yer not crazy.' Daryl muttered. She met his eyes briefly, her face softening slightly.

'It sure felt like it though. That made me even more angry, because it felt so unfair that when I had finally made it out through all the shit that I should loose it then and not before. And I felt like I owed it to those that hadn't made it to be happy, but I just couldn't you know?' She let the question hang in the air for a few seconds.

'I think I struggled most with the idea of making a permanent home in Alexandria because it meant giving up in a way. It meant accepting that I would never get back to my home and family. And I wasn't ready for that, not for a long while.'

Daryl kept his eyes down the stream, unsure of how to respond. He wondered what it was like to miss a family and home in that way. A part of him wanted to tell her that he liked her better now that he knew of her struggles, but he realized it would probably be the wrong thing to say.

'How Deanna managed to spin it so that I would teach the kids after I stopped recruiting is beyond me. She truly is a politician through and through I guess.' Ava laughed, clearly trying to lighten the mood again.

'Why did ya stop recruiting?' Daryl asked, unable to stop himself. The question had been lingering in his mind ever since he learned of her past job.

Ava's face fell slightly but she quickly recovered. 'That will have to be a story for another time.' She smiled and got to her feet, reaching a hand towards him to help him up, which he ignored.

'I've bored you too much already with my stupid confessionals I'm afraid.'

She leaned down to slip her sneakers back on and Daryl made his way over to his boots, realizing that the conversation was over. He looked up at the sun before turning to Ava.

'We should head back.'

She nodded and followed behind him through the woods. They fell into a comfortable silence for a while, only stopping a few times to handle a couple of rouge walkers that came too close to comfort.

Daryl kept mulling her words over in his head. If someone had told him that he would end up relating to a posh, oxford educated British lady he'd probably punch them in their face for mocking him, but then again he'd never expected to relate to a girl like Beth either. The walkers had flipped everything and deep down Daryl liked it. It made him feel so shameful that he would never admit it out loud.

He watched the petite figure walking in front of him, trying to picture her wild with rage. He'd seen enough to believe her capable of it but he still found it hard to imagine. Rage and anger were so familiar to him, and both such ugly features of his earlier life. And Ava's face was so perfect he struggled to picture it contorted in that way.

Soon they reached the walls of Alexandria and Daryl halted. Looking down at the gates the coil of grief in his stomach suddenly twisted as he thought of how happy Beth would've been there. Ava walked up beside him, her brow furrowed with questions.

Something came over him then and he felt a sudden urge to just say it out loud to someone, anyone.

'Ya know that thing ya said earlier, 'bout owing it to those who didn't make it to be happy?' He glanced sideways at her.

'How do ya do it?'

She offered him a soft smile and gently squeezed his upper arm in comfort. The action made him stiffen but he didn't pull away.

'I just try to get through one day at a time. And when that's too difficult I try to get through one hour at a time, and if that doesn't work I try to get through one minute at a time.' She said softly, her big eyes holding his gaze.

She gave his arm one last squeeze before turning to walk towards the gate and Daryl let out a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding.

'Come on Daryl.' She called over her shoulder. 'Eric is making a going away dinner with the rabbits you brought and you should join us.' Her tone left no room for debate.

Kicking a small pebble across the road he found himself following her without any real objection. As he walked behind her up to Aaron and Eric's house he wished Carol weren't around to see him, since he knew he'd never hear the end of it from her if she did.

* * *

Aaron and Eric shared incredulous glances at each other as they watched the scene in front of them unfold. When Ava had come back with Daryl in tow behind her they'd been slightly surprised and their behavior towards each other now seemed drastically different from their first dinner together.

Aaron knew that Eric would pester Ava about it as soon as Daryl left and he knew that his boyfriend would get no answers from her. But something has certainly changed between the two even though they both seemed totally unaware of it.

Ava was gesturing wildly with her hands in excitement as she told a story from her time at the university, seemingly in a better mood than he had seen her in for quite a while, but what surprised him the most was the unwavering attention she got from Daryl who were hanging on to her every word and even drew his lips in half a smile on a couple of occasions. It would have gone by unnoticed by anyone else but Aaron saw it as clear as day.

He smiled as he took another bite of the rabbit stew Eric had prepared and thought to himself that it was the small moments like these that made this new world bearable.

 **A/N – Sorry for the huge delay everyone. I was just so underwhelmed by the way they wrote Daryl this last season that I really struggled with how to continue writing him in this story. I hope I've managed to stay somewhat true to the characters. Please let me know what you think, I really appreciate you guys taking your time to read my little story. Also if anybody else watches Skam you might notice the little easter egg I left in there.**


End file.
